


Polaris

by InfamousLeader25



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:08:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25867207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfamousLeader25/pseuds/InfamousLeader25
Summary: The year is 2186, and Conrad Drescher is part of a mostly human crew aboard an advanced civilian starship that smuggles illicit goods all around Alliance space. Their latest job takes them to one of the most famous human colonies, but things quickly go wrong as news of a massive invasion reaches them. As they quickly flee the colony and jump into deep space, they stumble across a facility that houses a terrible secret. Conrad and the crew of the Polaris will have to avoid Reaper forces, clash with the shadowy pro-human Cerberus organization, and fight to determine their place in this new galaxy-at-war. Will they help the Alliance, or will they be better off on their own? Conrad's decisions could change everything.
Relationships: Original Asari Character(s)/Original Male Human Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Passing references may be made about Major Characters from the Trilogy  
> Any references about Commander Shepard assume Femshep :)

# Prologue

Lights and information lit up every screen in the room as the engines of the human-designed cruiser roared into life. Every monitor offered different data; some even showed the same but from a different angle. The giant protective metal shields lifted off the starship’s windows and let the nearby station’s lights fill the command deck. A shadow fell across the captain’s seat and obscured the figure sitting there, only the end of a lit cigarette was visible with a faint trail of smoke rising into the ceiling. 

“The riots in Vancouver today were forcefully shut down, with law enforcement using nonlethal weapons to subdue the protesters,” the newscaster revealed as the ship’s radio blinked into life, “this was the largest protest regarding the upcoming trial of the famed Commander Shepard. As of right now we do not kn-.” The radio buzzed as the man monitoring it switched stations. 

“Operator Mennaue?” asked the man sitting next to the radio. He was a short, round man with a scruffy beard and a deep, raspy voice. “Weren’t we supposed to stay on Earth until after the riots spread? They could have been much more effective at causing dissent against that traitorous bitch,” he said.

“Enough, Hilkin,” snapped a voice that came from the captain’s chair. The obscured figure slowly sat forward, letting the light finally brush against her face. She had long straight hair that was jet black, and very sharp features on her face. Her eyes, even in this low lighting, glared deep into Hilkin’s, almost as if she were staring right through him. She wore a white leather coat over her skin-tight suit, but she still allowed for her suit to be exposed showing off her curves and figure. “We received new orders from the Illusive Man. It required that we leave Earth immediately,” she continued sharply.

“We should have been there! We worked for months to start these riots,” Hilkin replied, clearly letting his irritation come through. The woman slowly sat back into the chair and raised one leg over the other, letting her knees together. Her face was once again obscured by the shadow and the smoke.

“I said enough, Hilkin. Your loyalty is to Cerberus. I will not have you question our actions. This is your,” she paused briefly, almost musing with the words, “final warning.” A loud bang rang out across the room just as Hilkin started to argue. His body stood for a moment and then fell limply to the ground. Blood began pooling beneath him.

“Operator Mennaue, he is ready for you,” said a large man standing in the doorway across from Hilkin’s body. He lowered his gun and clipped it back onto its magnetic strip at his side. This man had an incredibly deep voice and wore a large hulking white armor with black accents and a small orange insignia on the chest.

“Excellent,” replied Mennaue. She took one final drag from the cigarette and exhaled a large cloud of smoke. The command room was completely silent as she stood up and started walking towards the man in the doorway. As she passed Hilkin’s body, she flicked her cigarette butt into the pool of blood and ordered, “someone clean this up. Then send another crew down to the Chamber.” People immediately began speaking into their comms and going about the operation of the ship.  
The massive ship began pulling out of the docking bay of the trade station above Earth, charting a course to the Charon Relay orbiting Pluto. The ship’s main engines have roared to life, and the journey from Earth to the edge of the system would only take a few hours. Several military and civilian ships passed the cruiser, heading to one of the many stations or ports on the human home world. 

It took several minutes for Mennaue and the man to reach the Chamber, which was just a dramatic name given to the brig by the crewman. Mennaue walked in front of the man with confidence and purpose. Each step she knew she was closer to discovering the information she needed. Her hair bounced slightly and moved gently as she walked, and the bottom of her coat trailed behind her with every step. It accentuated her figure, pulling snugly against her torso and waist, and then falling freely down her legs to just below her knees. She wore high top black leather boots that made a very distinctive clicking sound as she walked down the metallic hallways of the ship. Guards immediately straightened up when they heard her walking towards them, clearly terrified of what she would do to them if they were caught slacking. 

Mennaue and the man finally reached their destination. The doors automatically opened after detecting her omni-tool, and they both stepped inside. On the floor in front of them was a human male, kneeling on the ground with his hands tied. He had a bloody bag covering his head, but it did little to stop the sniffles and panting the man was letting out. Mennaue stepped closer to the man, who cowered and flinched after hearing her boots come closer. Even though the man’s face was covered, it was clear he was now crying and pleading for mercy. Mennaue crouched down and put her lips next to the man’s covered ears and asked softly, “what is the name of the ship?” The man was overcome with fear at her voice, gentle and soft as it was. The man had to work to try to stifle his tears and gasps for air, but he was finally able to answer her question. 

“Po… Polaris...” he softly cried. Mennaue smiled sharply and then stood up and turned around, walking straight through the doors. She nodded to the large man who accompanied her to the Chamber, and he stepped closer to the man on the ground. As Mennaue turned the corner and left the room, the doors automatically closed, but not before the large man drew his gun and let loose a loud bang that echoed throughout the brig.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we actually get tot meet some of the stars of this adventure! We begin to learn about some of the connections our characters have to the lore. There may be more that are revealed in the future, but for now, introductions are in order!

### Chapter 1: That Tingling Feeling

“Where are we heading again, helmsman?” asked the man standing at the bridge of the starship. Normally the pilot’s quarters are large and spacious, with room enough for several helmsmen and navigators to be able to work in unison. However, this frigate-class ship is of a newer design, with a built in sophisticated virtual intelligence that assumes many of the jobs normally assigned to organics, and it seamlessly integrates those roles into the ship’s systems. There are still a lot of holographic screens and monitors displaying data and relevant navigational information, but the VI allows for instant feedback from the displays. 

“Oh, Mr. Drescher! I didn’t realize you were up here!” replied the second man, who was sitting in the pilot’s chair. He briefly turned his head to make eye contact, but neither of his hands left the holographic controls. “Captain Willison had me set course for Shanxi,” he continued, “I don’t think he fully trusts the VI. He named it Ghost, for Christ’s sake.” The man quickly raised one of hands to scratch beneath his thick beard, and then returned it to the controls without skipping a beat. 

“I heard the old man didn’t like the new upgrades that came with the new ship, but damn,” chuckled the first man. He was a relatively tall human male with dark hair brushed back on the top of his head. The hair on the side of his head blended smoothly into his black facial hair. It was not nearly as long compared to the pilot’s; it was little more than stubble. 

Drescher glanced out of the window, his eyes locking onto the massive structure in the distance. It consists of two fifteen-kilometer curved metal arms surrounding a pair of revolving gyroscopic rings roughly five kilometers in diameter. Inside of these rings is a massive core of element zero that radiates a brilliant and bright blue. He always was fascinated by the mass relays. “Is that our ticket to Shanxi?” asked Drescher, referring to the relay off in the distance. 

“Yes, Mr. Drescher. That is the Shanxi-Theta mass relay,” answered a clear, and obviously synthetic, female voice, “we will be locked in approach trajectory in a couple of hours.” Drescher continued to lean against the door frame while he watched the relay’s rings spin. He crossed his arms against his chest, the brown leather sleeves wrinkling slightly. 

He began to reminisce about his very first trip through a relay. He joined his father on a simple patrol mission; at least that was before he became the famous Alliance Admiral Kastanie Drescher, who led his fleet in to liberate the human colony of Shanxi from the turians during the First Contact War. The feeling of space flight for the first time sent waves of tingling sensations through his body, and he remembers giggling almost uncontrollably as they approached the relay and were sent to one of the connected systems. It was a near instantaneous jump from across the galaxy, but he remembered it, nonetheless. He began to think he became a spacer to chase that feeling, travelling from place to place, relay to relay. To him, that was freedom. 

“There are much better sights aboard this ship than the relay, Conrad,” chimed a cold, yet oddly flirtatious voice from behind him. He immediately snapped back to reality and turned around. Only a few feet in front of him was his partner, an asari name Vaayma Sani. She stood arms crossed with one leg off at an angle and most of her body being supported by the other leg. She had one of her eyebrows raised slightly as she said, “But then again, that really is a marvel.” Vaayma uncrossed her arms and took a step closer to Conrad, letting he chest settle just inches away from his. 

“Hm, it really is,” Conrad started as he let his eyes drop to admire Vaayma’s features, “it really is.” She smirked slightly, clearly following Conrad’s gaze. She turned around slowly and started to walk down the hallway to leave the cockpit. Conrad decided to follow her. As he caught up to her, he asked, “how long have you been travelling on ships?” His curiosity was piqued by his earlier memories. She slowed her pace and eyed him carefully. 

“Why are you wanting to know?” Vaayma asked, never averting her gaze from him. 

“I’m curious about your history,” replied Conrad, meeting her gaze. 

“I’ve been on ships for a longtime. Over 200 years,” she began but stopped abruptly. Vaayma looked at Conrad, her eyes narrowing slightly. 

“We have been partners now for six years, Vaayma, so I think you should feel comfortable telling me basic information,” Conrad said, his tone almost toying with her obvious suspicious. 

“Fine,” she finally replied after a long pause, “but you’re going to have to spar for your answers.” She continued walking forward, not waiting for Conrad’s reply. He chuckled under his breath and ran to catch back up with her. They both walked to the elevator and took it down to the cargo hold. 

There were boxes and crates all over the holding area, but in the middle was open space large enough to offer a sparring arena. Conrad stopped on one side and let Vaayma continue walking to the other side. He watched her walk and noticed how her armor had to have been custom made, since they fit her like a glove. She wore a black suit with a single blue stripe along each side, and her torso piece opened over her breasts to expose the tops. Black straps connected the side panels of her armor to her waist, and then from her waist to her thighs. Conrad always thought Vaayma looked slightly intimidating, but he wasn’t going to let her know that. 

They stood across from each other with fists raised, ready to spar. Conrad took the first the jab, but Vaayma easily dodged and sent a counter jab. “I’ve been on ships most of my life,” she began, “I spent most of my youth training as an asari commando.” She jabbed again, and Conrad parried her strike and sent one of his own, barely contacting her arm. 

“Asari commando? That explains a lot. Specialize in anything?” He asked as she struck him on the chest. 

“Assassination,” Vaayma replied bluntly, launching a second strike against Conrad. 

“How’d an asari assassin commando join a human smuggling operation?” Conrad asked between punches. He could feel her starting to punch harder, like he was finally asking the real questions. 

“I was contracted to,” she threw a couple more punches, aiming for Conrad’s head, “investigate a possible source of red sand. I found it.” Vaayma dodged a flurry of blows from Conrad and countered with a hard punch to his jaw. 

“Hey, watch it!” Conrad exclaimed, a little surprised by how serious this spar had suddenly become. He threw another series of punches and landed a couple hits on Vaayma. “Willison had to have given you a huge amount of credits to abandon your mission and join him,” Conrad said after getting back into the flow of the spar. 

“He didn’t give me credits,” Vaayma replied, going lighter on the punches. She noticed Conrad had some sweat beading on his forehead, and she let herself smile faintly. She parried a punch, offered another as a counter. 

“I call horse shit, Vaayma,” Conrad said after swapping blows, “He must have offered you something unbelievably valuable.” As the words left his mouth, He saw Vaayma’s expression become serious. She feigned a punch to his face, and then kicked him hard in the chest, sending him backwards and falling on his back. 

“Not everything is about credits, Conrad,” Vaayma said, returning to her usual cold demeanor. She stepped over Conrad and walked through the door, leaving him sitting on the ground breathing heavily. Conrad lowered himself and let his back press against the cold metal floor. He stared at the ceiling, panting, and thinking about what just happened. His breathing finally steadied as a tingling feeling began at his feet and travelled up his body. It only lasted a moment, but he held onto that feeling. Conrad sighed and stood up, grabbing his coat off the nearby boxes and walking back towards the bridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose not to add a chapter summary because I wanted to avoid spoilers, but I am absolutely willing to start adding summaries if people would like them :)  
> Also, I think I am going to try to aim for chapter roughly 3 pages long, but if you want to see longer chapters let me know! Obvs longer chapters will mean an extra or two between posts, but either way it's worth the wait, I think :P


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Polaris is only a few hours away the human colony of Shanxi, and Conrad begins to tackle his feelings about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shanxi was the theater of the First Contact War. Turian forces captured the colony, but the Second fleet (commanded by Admiral Drescher) came in to liberate the colony.

### Chapter 2: On Approach

The frigate slowed its thrust down to barely more than an idle after its successful jump. The light from the star in this system shown brightly, even at this great distance. As the ship continued its smooth flight through empty space, the hull slowly rotated in a circle letting the star illuminate the side of the vessel. Most of the windows on the ship were already bright from the lights inside, but now the large words printed in black were visible on the side of the ship. The letters were painted on the hull directly above the windows, and those letters formed the word: Polaris. 

Conrad stood at the large holographic galaxy map in the bridge, examining some of the systems with an eyebrow raised. He cocked his head slightly to the left and then to the right before straightening up and raising his hand to his chin. He had been to this system many times before, but he always felt a weird feeling in his stomach while here. Most of the time he was able to push the feeling aside and pretend like nothing was wrong. His brows furrowed. He didn’t even know what he was feeling. His hand was now stroking his beard while he stared intently at the map, almost as if he was paralyzed by some unknown force, holding his head and locking his eyes at the tiny planet. 

“Everything all right, Conrad,” came a gruff voice behind him. An old hand clamped down firmly and his shoulder, offering a gentle squeeze. The older man stepped up next to Conrad, looking at him and then to the map. He was a human in his 60’s, but he still seemed relatively fit and healthy. Gray hair was hidden under a captain’s hat, and a long gray beard hung from his face. His mouth was barely visible between the hair of his mustaches and beard. “I know it must be hard every time we come to Shanxi,” the older man continued. There was warmth in his voice. 

“Ha, everything is fine Captain Willison,” Conrad tried to say cheerily. 

“There’s no need to have walls, son,” Willison said, “we are all family here.” Willison knew what Conrad must be feeling. “Your father is a famous man. Must be strange to be back where everything changed for humanity,” he said. Conrad finally broke his gaze from the map and glanced off to the side. 

“What? That has nothing to do with this,” Conrad began defensively, but paused. He sighed and turned to face Willison. “My dad saved this colony during the First Contact War. He is a hero. I joined the Alliance because of him, but now… everything that has happened to me, it just feels like… I’m not sure,” he admitted. Normally Conrad would never let himself feel this exposed. Emotions are messy, after all, but Willison saved him when everyone else turned their back. He owed him an honest answer. He wasn’t sure how to vocalize what he was truly feeling. Was it guilt for leaving the Alliance? Or was it shame for being discharged from his post due to gambling and drug use? He had asked his dad for help before things got out of the control, but the great Admiral Drescher disowned him. It hurt, but Conrad didn’t want to dwell on these feelings. “I’m fine, really,” Conrad finally said, offering a smile to his captain. 

Willison smiled and nodded, placing his hand on Conrad’s back. A small gesture of compassion could go a long way. Willison wasn’t an emotional guy, not anymore at least, but still he viewed Conrad almost like the son he never had. “We will be arriving soon,” he said changing the subject, “is the shipment ready?” 

Conrad was relieved at leaving the heavy subject behind. “Yeah, I prepared the package before we left Illium. This should be a quick delivery,” he replied confidently. Willison nodded in approval and pat Conrad once more on the shoulder and walked away. He watched the captain walk away for a moment and then turned his gaze back to the map. 

“Huh, that’s weird,” Conrad thought out loud. He had just noticed one of the systems on the map disappeared. He was certain that the system was visible before the captain came to chat. His curiosity was piqued. It looked like the system was possibly in batarian space. “Ghost, what happened to that system?” 

“Unknown. Navigational and communication data coming from that relay is offline,” answered a familiar synthetic voice. 

“Offline? What do you mean?” asked Conrad. 

“Relay transit and jump point information is no longer available. Sensors and communications are no longer transmitting data to extranet sources,” Ghost replied, almost instantly. 

“How is that-,” Conrad began; however, as he started speaking the system blinked back onto the map. “Oh, must’ve been an asteroid or something passing between comm buoys,” He rationalized. Ghost didn’t respond, but he felt sure. Conrad pushed his hands against the railing and stood up straight, ready to go see the pilot and wait for planetary approach. 

Conrad walked towards the cockpit of the Polaris but stopped after seeing Vaayma sitting in a room off to the side of the bridge. She sat in front of a huge window that looks off into the emptiness of space. Her legs were crossed, and her arms were arranged to let her hands rest on her knees. A gentle blue energy surrounded her body, pulsing and waving. 

“Here for another spar, Conrad?” Vaayma asked without opening her eyes. 

“This room is a little small for a spar,” Conrad joked. He looked all around the room and gestured with his arms dramatically. 

The blue energy surrounding Vaayma dissipates as she opens her eyes and stands to face Conrad. “Cramped spaces often provide for more… close quarters contact,” she said, with a slight lilt in her voice. She raised an eyebrow at Conrad and crossed her arms, causing her breasts to press together. Her face became serious as she said, “I overheard you talking to Willison. He is just looking out for you. He cares about you, you know.” Vaayma stepped past him, leaving him in the room alone. 

Conrad stood there, staring out of the window. “Why is everyone so serious today?” he asked himself. He tried hard to keep his mind from wandering back to those feelings from earlier, but he couldn’t help himself. Luckily though, he could see a planet growing larger and larger through the window as the ship approached. Shanxi was a lush world, with a booming population of humans. He chuckled as he remembered how many smugglers are sent out here to deliver drugs and other valuable goods. 

“Mr. Drescher, Captain Willison would like you to meet him and Ms. Sani down in the cargo holding area. We are on final descent,” chimed Ghost from the overhead intercom. 

Conrad sighed and straightened his coat. “Let’s get this over with,” he mumbled under his breath as he turned to head towards the cargo hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter primarily focused on Conrad beginning to wrestle with his past, but he will likely have to confront these feelings again in the future. I am stil toying with the idea of lengthening the chapters, so let me know how you guys and gals feel about it! :)


	4. Chapter 3: Shanxi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conrad and crew arrive on Shanxi for a simple delivery, but the whole colony gets turned upside down.

### Chapter 3: Shanxi

Metal stretched into the sky as far as the eye could see, often obscured by the clouds. Flying cars zipped through the air, formed long lines of black dots when looking from the ground. Lights and extravagant displays of neon and oversized screens lined the buildings, attracting many people inside. Concrete paths and metallic walkways lined the ground, connecting the bottom floors of the skyscrapers to each other. Plazas and fountains were scattered around every building, food stands and small shops littered throughout. The soft breeze blew through the crowds of people, carrying their voices and bouts of laughter across the metropolis. Alien birds flew from terrace to terrace, reminding some of the humans of the pigeons back on earth, bringing with them fond memories of the home world. 

At the far end of the plaza past the main marketplaces and shopping centers, the skyscrapers gradually shrunk into a large open trading hub, specializing in cargo and interplanetary transport. The docking bays existed in the beating heart of the city of Shanxi, though there were many more hubs and ports scattered throughout the vast capital. Ships were hailed in and waited for permission to land by the Commercial Transit Service. Dozens of ships arrived and departed from this single port every day, yet there have never been any accidents. Inside one of the communication towers peppered around the port, human operatives spoke on the omni-tools to various ships and crewmen, coordinating movements and pickups of cargo. 

“SSV Alamo, you are now cleared for departure down airway 7,” said one of the operatives, his hands typing away on his holo keyboard. 

“Commercial control? This is the HCS Polaris, requesting a landing bay,” came a voice through the man’s earpiece. He quickly approved the landing at docking bay C15 and typed into his computer to update the area’s traffic control. 

The Polaris quickly descended from orbit into the airway cleared for frigates, and approached docking section C. There were many different styles of ships located here, some of them clearly from far reaches of Alliance space, but it is not uncommon to see humans from all over. Many of the ships were loading or unloading pallet upon pallet of freight, crewmen scurrying around the holds like rates. The Polaris finally reached bay C15 and released its thrusters. It turned gently into the dock, and large metal magnets powered by mass effect fields gripped the hull the ship, stabilizing it and allowing for the engines to be cut off. 

Conrad stood in the cargo hold with Captain Willison and Vaayma, along with a few other crewmen. The familiar jolt from the magnets attaching to the ship told the crew that the docking was a success. The crew standing around the large crates and boxes immediately began loosening the straps that held them in place and typing away on the cargo terminal. Conrad watched the others race around, preparing for the doors to drop. He chuckled to himself before to turning to Willison. 

“Isn’t security tighter here in the heart of the city? Why did we dock here?” Conrad asked, looking around at the barrels full of drugs. 

“Aye,” replied Willison, “there seems to be another political rally for Terra Firma happening tomorrow.” 

“Of course there is,” Vaayma mused. She remembered the initial human reaction when they discovered they weren’t alone in the galaxy. It all happened here, after all. The turians captured Shanxi and held it for a while before Alliance forces counter attacked and drove the turians off the planet. First contact like that doesn’t just go away. She watched as the Terra Firma party gained popularity here, an openly pro-human and anti-alien group. “Conrad, I’m surprised you are willing to work with an alien,” she toyed. 

“Some aliens have their… perks,” he replied, not making the effort to hide his eyes moving up and down Vaayma’s body. “Besides, the humans that genuinely believe in that nonsense are idiots. They will never reach a majority,” he continued. 

“Your own father is celebrated for liberating Shanxi, right?” Vaayma asked, narrowing her yes at Conrad, subtly trying to incite some sort of reaction. 

“Alright, you two,” Willison said, stepping between them, “we aren’t here to talk politics.” Vaayma looked at Conrad and winked, making him feel blood rush to his face. “The contact should be a few blocks away, at a bar in the Galactic Plaza,” Willison continued, “I’ll be here making sure things are unloaded and delivered to the proper location.” 

The hold’s doors finally opened, and sunlight exploded into the ship. Crewmen started pushing pallets of product off the ship via rails. Conrad and Vaayma walked off the ship and began looking around at all of the other ships docking. Vaayma continued walking after letting her eyes adjust to the bright light, taking a deep breath of the fresh air as she went. Conrad raised his hand to his eyebrows, blocking the sun from shining directly into them. “Woah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a port this busy. Do you think every port in the city is like this?” he asked Vaayma once he caught up with her. 

“Could be,” she started, “maybe you were wrong about the Terra Firma party never reaching a majority.” Vaayma looked at Conrad as she spoke and saw his brows furrow. “I’m just saying it looks pretty major to me,” she said, turning her gaze back to the crowds in front of her. They continued to weave in and out of the crowds of people, gradually reaching the Galactic Plaza. A huge statue of a human soldier towered over the people in the middle of the plaza, and starship-shaped fountains were scattered throughout. Humans gathered in front of the statue, calling out for humanity to assert its dominance over the aliens of the galaxy, and the crowds applauded intermittently through the speech. 

“There,” Vaayma exclaimed, nodding towards an almost empty bar on the street. Conrad looked over and saw a single salarian leaning against the counter. “I’ll deliver the data pad, you keep watch,” she ordered. 

“You got it,” Conrad replied. He didn’t like when she got bossy and gave orders, but he decided not to resist it. He immediately turned around and began surveying the crowds, looking for law enforcement or any surveillance tech. Across the plaza, a large store that sold electronics had new models of televisions lining the street. Conrad glanced behind him and saw Vaayma talking to the salarian. She had the PDA in hand but hadn’t given it to him yet. They were too far away for Conrad to hear what was being said, but he could see the salarian’s mouth moving extremely quickly. He seemed a little panicked, almost as though he was rushing the exchange. Conrad rolled his eyes and turned back to face the crowds. 

The sky darkened a little, and the air started to feel heavier than it did earlier. The crowds were getting louder and louder, almost to the point of everyone needing to yell over the person next to them. Conrad looked to the sky and felt a large gust of wind race across the plaza. His hair billowed in the wind, and just as quickly as the gust appeared, it was gone. The screens on the other side of the crowd began flickering, and bright red alerts started taking over the monitors. A loud bang echoed in distance, barely audible over the buzzing of the crowd. Conrad looked back at Vaayma and saw her and the salarian crouching slightly. The PDA was on the ground a few feet away from her, clearly blown out of her hand by the sudden gale of wind. 

“Attention! Attention!” blared the TVs, followed by a loud emergency broadcasting signal, “Unknown forces have landed in London… Paris has- allen… ost conta- th Luna base.” The stations’ broadcasts were being interfered with, and the crowds noise began piercing Conrad’s head. He crouched down and covered his ears in pain, feeling a warm liquid between his fingers. He couldn’t focus anymore, the splitting pain from the noise made it impossible for him to think. He felt massive vibrations race across the ground as the sky grew darker. Noise blotted out almost all of his senses, he felt the ground shake and force him to his knees. He fought against the noise and managed to look back up across the plaza, his vision blurry from the pain. All he heard was ringing, and smoke filled his vision. A bright flash of red appeared in the distance, and he felt another tremor beneath him. The statue started to crack at the base, slowly beginning to lean forward. People were running all around him, but some of them were forced down to the ground by the same noise. 

Conrad slowly began inching himself out of the bar into the plaza and watched as the screens fell from their mounts. One of them cracked down the middle, but the image persisted. It was a video on loop of a blue planet, covered in bright orange spots on the surface. The text beneath the video was a single sentence, repeating. ‘Earth is lost.’ Another flash a red, this one much closer to Conrad. The force from the light knocked him back against the concrete wall of the bar. He felt a crunch and a piercing pain in his side as he landed on a large piece of rubble. The noises became muffled, and his vision began to blur. He felt warmth along his side, but he was barely holding himself up on his knees. A third flash of red exploded from across the plaza, sending the statue toppling to the ground. Conrad saw a flood of red liquid come out from beneath the crumbled statue. A fourth streak of red originated in a nearby building, launching concrete and large pieces of metal into the remaining crowds. Conrad felt a heavy force strike him and send him collapsing to the ground. All he sees is red. Red, a speck of blue, and then black.


	5. Chapter 4: Unwavering Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark machinations are occurring within the Cerberus cruiser sent to track down the Polaris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter switches to the point of view of Vivian Mennaue, the Cerberus operator from the prologue. This chapter falls on the timeline between chapters 1 and 3.

### Chapter 4: Unwavering Loyalty

The lights flickered as screams echoed across the laboratory. Pieces of red and tan lumps were strewn about, leaving trails of red drying across the floor. Large glass tube lined the walls, each one having a different body inside, with varying degrees of consciousness. One tube, close to the table with the older man in a white robe and a younger woman with long black hair, held a man whose arms were being slowly pulled from his torso. Tendons stretched across the gap like thread barely able to keep hold. The bones made a very distinct crack as they broke apart. His screams were muffled by the thickness of the glass, and he passed in and out of consciousness. 

The woman looked over at the man and watched as he began stitching bits of new flesh onto old, injecting the seams with a bright blue fluid. The flesh belonged to another man, who had already passed out from the pain. Blood stained the scientist’s coat, and he muttered to himself as he continued slicing into the unconscious man and injecting more vials of blue liquid. His flesh began to turn pale and then gray, the seams on his body glowing bright blue. He no longer looked human, save for his head. The doctor always left the head for last. 

“Finally, the eyes,” the scientist said confidently, “this is by far my favorite part.” As the words had barely left his mouth, he grabbed the small metallic rod from the table and stabbed it into the space between the eye and eyelid. Blood trickled down the face, and he applied pressure until a viscous popping sound rang out from the other man’s face. Blood now poured from the socket, and the eye dangled from tendons and fibers like an egg yolk. 

The woman watched intently as the man worked, scooping the eyes out and slicing at the flesh with what seemed to be excitement. He appeared to hum a small tune while he continued stitching and injecting, but neither himself nor the woman seemed to be bothered by it. The man finally finished his work and stood up straight, stretching the muscles in his back. He looked down at his creation in awe. 

“The Illusive Man has truly outdone himself, you know,” he began, vaguely gesturing out to the empty space in front of him, “I never believe we would have been able to achieve this level of control, even over our own.” The man coughed up a small amount of yellowish slime and spat it out on the floor. The woman seemed to scowl slightly at the man, but quickly turned to the table filled with used and bloody tools. 

“Are the needles loaded with the nanites, Sven?” Vivian asked curiously, gently grasping one of the empty syringes on the small metal table. She twirled the syringe in her hand, a small smile creeping across her face as one of the men in the glass tubes began screaming. Vivian straightened her back as she placed the dirty syringe back on the table. 

“Yes, operator Mennaue,” replied Sven. Inside the tube next to him was a human male screaming and banging against the thick glass. His hair was matted down against his forehead while blood dripped down his face. Two small tubes were attached to the top of his head, preparing to inject the next round of nanites. “These soldiers will never question your orders,” the scientist continued, grabbing his scalpel and slicing into the form in front of him, “thanks to the nanites Cerberus has developed.” 

Vivian narrowed her eyes at Sven and took a step closer to him, making sure to avoid the blood splattered across the floor. “These nanites are truly capable of this?” she mused. 

“That’s what the egg-heads claim, Mennaue,” he replied, “they are supposed to give Cerberus absolute control over the host. They will obey every order without question.” Sven coughed once more, but it didn’t seem any more slime came up, or if it did, he kept it in his mouth and swallowed it. “The nanites also seem to instill a degree of rapid clotting to prevent the host from bleeding out,” he continued, motioning to the floor and tables around them. Vivian looked around, seemingly impressed. Sven and her attention were pulled towards the man on the table, although he could barely be called a man. The gray husk began moving, and upon gaining consciousness again, screaming in pain. 

“Shit, I forgot the final round of nanites to cement control,” Sven muttered, rushing to tighten the straps around the creature. Without hesitation Vivan pulled her pistol and shot a bullet into the husk’s side. A blue liquid began to pour out of the wound before slowly to a drip and then nothing. The husk was silent for a moment as it registered the new pain that shot across its side, but Vivian quickly took a few steps and slammed the side of her gun into the creature’s head, knocking it unconscious once more. Sven grabbed the final syringe of nanites and stabbed it into the husk’s head. The blue liquid inside the small tube quickly drained and then a series of convulsions raced across the husk’s body. It shook hard against the straps, almost pulling them from the table. Just as suddenly as the shaking began, it ended. The husk now laid there motionless, with Vivian watching it through the sights on her pistol. 

“Is it dead,” she asked coldly. Sven shook his head and raised one of his hands to her weapon. 

“No, no, no,” he said, “now we have control.” His face lit up with excitement as he said it, his hands clasping together. Vivian lowered her weapon and looked closely at the husk. The blue lines covering its naked body appeared to be how the nanites traveled around the body, but the skin has become very dull and decayed. The eye sockets were black, but there seemed to be a faint blue glow underneath the eyelids. The husk’s hand twitched, and then clenched in a fist. Its eyes shot open, revealing a solid blue ball in place of each eye. Sven unstrapped the husk, letting it slowly raise itself up, and applying pressure on its legs as it struggled to stand. It took only a few seconds on wobbling before it finally gained stability. It straightened its back lowered its arms to its sides, staring directly at Vivian. 

“Awaiting orders, Operator Mennaue,” it said in a deep and slightly synthetic voice. Vivian let a smile spread across her face before she answered. 

“Oh, this is excellent,” she said to Sven without diverting her eyes from the husk. She stepped closer to it, letting her eyes move up and down its body. “Shoot the doctor’s leg,” she ordered. In an instant the husk grabbed her pistol and shot the doctor. It then returned to its original stance with the pistol held out to return to Vivian. Sven was now on the floor grunting and grabbing his thigh. He threw curses at Mennaue and cried in pain every time he tried to stand. Vivian watched Sven struggle for several moments before grabbing her gun from the husk and returning it to her side. 

“You have truly outdone yourself, Sven,” she toyed, stepping over his wriggling form. “Cerberus has finally found a way to give our soldier unwavering loyalty,” she continued coldly as she walked towards the door. She paused briefly before saying more, a small chuckle escaping her. “To me, at least,” she said sharply. She turned to face the husk as she passed through the door, “help the doctor clean this mess up. It seems he needs assistance.” Vivian then disappeared out of the lab before either the husk or Sven could reply.


End file.
